A low in the Southern Ocean looks large enough to control our weather for the entire Labour Weekend – for some regions this isn’t great news for the long weekend but for others it could be near perfect.

“This low will be churning by for a number of days well south of New Zealand.  This slow movement, coupled with high pressure north of the country, means a strong westerly flow will cover the country” says head weather analyst Philip Duncan.

He says the “westerly flow” part of the forecast is key to working out general weather patterns this weekend.  “With big systems like this we find the weather tends to be fairly predictable with sunny weather in the east, lighter winds in the north and rain on the West Coast”.

WeatherWatch.co.nz says that some eastern and north eastern areas will be sunny.  “The winds will be strong to gale force for some exposed and eastern areas of the South Island and about the lower North Island – but in sheltered areas further away from the ranges, or in the north, the weather may well be stunning”.

However it’s the unpredictable nature of gusty winds that could be an issue.  “As the winds tilt from say North West to more West North West that tiny change could push gusty winds to where you are – or it might ease them. That’s the reality of New Zealand’s geography on our weather”.

Mr Duncan says New Zealand’s georgraphy will help create sunny, settled, zones this long weekend – but at the same time will make other areas windier or wetter.

WeatherWatch.co.nz predicts some severe weather warnings will be issued for the long weekend

• Wettest – West Coast
• Windiest – South Island (mostly eastern and about the ranges) also the Lower North Island.
• Sunniest/Driest:- North Eastern NZ (BOP, eastern Coromandel, Gisborne, etc)

For more specific daily forecasts this long weekend check out our Labour Weekend forecast Video later today!